Applying to middle school with new BUSD zoning
Hi, BUSD rezoned the middle schools last year and my older one will be going to middle school in the next academic year. The one we are zoned for is the farthest way from us in terms of distance, and there may be conflict in drop-off/pick-up timings with my younger one. Has anyone here been part of the rezoning? If yes, do you know if there is flexibility in asking for a different middle school assignment or not? Thanks!
Dec 31, 2023
Parent Replies
As with everything BUSD related, they are not flexible. You can get on a waitlist, but it’s no guarantee you’ll get a spot. Unfortunately, they don’t really care if the school you’re zoned for is close to you or not. - signed a BUSD parent of 15 years
My child just started middle school so was the first cohort of the new middle school rezoning. The district had said they were going to be super strict about zones. So, I was surprised during the application process when it asked me to rank my choices. My preference happened to be the one I was zoned for, but I know a few families who chose differently than their designated zone. One family was zoned for Longfellow but got into Willard. Another family never got off the waitlist for King and had to accept their zone assignment. A third family tried to choose Willard over Longfellow and were not able. Good luck with your decision. It seems worth ranking your nearby school first and accept that you may not get it. Also, many middle school kids take AC Transit to school, so there's that.